GONZALEZ TAKES ASSEMBLY POST

San Diegan recognizes labor after being sworn in as newest assembly member

Moments after being sworn in to the Assembly Tuesday, longtime San Diego union activist Lorena Gonzalez left little doubt her loyalties will lie with organized labor.

“I am proud to be a worker advocate, I am proud to be a single mother. I am proud to be an organizer. And I am most proud to be joining all of you in the Assembly,” said Gonzalez in remarks on the floor as her two children stood by her side.

Gonzalez took the oath a week after a convincing special election victory over fellow Democrat Steve Castaneda, a former Chula Vista city councilman. Following the win, she stepped down as chief executive director of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council — a coalition of 130 unions and about 200,000 workers.

Gonzalez also recognized her father, Roberto Gonzalez, who was in the gallery as she spoke.

“I just can’t imagine what my father must be feeling,” she said, recalling how he immigrated 40 years ago as a farmworker “hoping to have the opportunity to do a little bit more for his family than he would be able to do in Mexico.”

Gonzalez has a daunting task ahead as she scrambles to become quickly versed on some tough and complicated measures that will be up for votes in the coming weeks — not the least of which is the state budget and its accompanying controversies.

“I feel a responsibility to just dive in and figure out what I will be voting on,” said Gonzalez, whose election solidifies a huge Democratic majority in the Assembly.

Gonzalez downplays that margin when asked if she expects to cast the deciding vote on taxes, which must be approved by a two-thirds margin.

“What taxes?” she said, aware that Democratic leaders have been trying to resist revenue increases out of fear of a voter backlash.

Gonzalez said she has no set plans for her own legislation. “I will probably be voting on 430 bills in the coming weeks that have gone through the process. Right now I am thinking about nothing but trying to understand those bills,” she said.

But true to her union roots, Gonzalez has a priority bill, just not her own.

Assembly Bill 880 is known among labor leaders as closing the “Walmart loophole” regarding employee health care. It would impose financial penalties on companies with a payroll of larger than 500 from cutting worker pay and benefits to a point where their medical coverage is picked up by the state through Medi-Cal. It was awaiting action on the Assembly floor Tuesday.

Gonzalez could be tested when state workers make their case for a pay raise after years of going without a basic cost-of-living increase and being subjected to unpaid furloughs. Brown will negotiate the contracts, which must be ratified by lawmakers.

“I support workers and the governor working it out at the bargaining table,” said Gonzalez when asked if she would vote for state pay hikes.

Critics expect Gonzalez will be a loyal vote for Democratic priorities, from taxes to business regulations to worker protections.